This matchup sees two of the more inconsistent outfits in this year’s CPL do battle. There was a period where the Tallawahs lost three-consecutive matches before they were able to break the drought just recently, the Tridents however are going down the same path having lost their past two games and are currently sitting fifth on the table.

Putting both teams alongside one another on paper, it’s apparent that Barbados comes into this match as the underdogs when you factor in what Jamaica’s batting unit has been producing. In their most recent loss to the Trinbago Knight Riders, the Tridents were always going to struggle without both Martin Guptill and Hashim Amla to match the likes of Lynn, McCullum, Munro and the Bravo brothers with the bat. The news going around on Amla is that he’s been unwell, Guptill on the other hand just hasn’t been able to find his feet in the CPL for a second time resulting in him being left out of the side. The inclusion of 20-year-old all-rounder Shamar Springer was a hit and miss, he was run out for a duck and will more likely than not be left out of the side to take on the Tallawahs tomorrow. The Tridents need something special from one of the Smith’s, Dwayne and Steve. Two completely different players, Dwayne Smith prefers to muscle balls to and over the fence while Steve Smith has an unorthodox but faultless technique which has seen him become one of the best modern day batsman in the world. Their best batsman in CPL18 so far has to be Shai Hope, he’s scored 224 runs in the Tridents five matches at a healthy average of 56 which sees him miles ahead of anyone else in terms of contribution and consistency. Skipper Jason Holder was able to break an ongoing curse of haemorrhaging runs off his own bowling with a tidy spell of 0/13 from four overs. Barbados has no problems whatsoever in the bowling department, they’ve got a number of wicket taking options including Steve Smith’s leg-spin which has come in handy as well. The two Pakistani seamers are playing their role in the team superbly, Irfan and Riaz proving to be handy signings with 10 wickets between them, can they bring down the might of Jamaica’s batting brigade though?

It’s been a strange past couple of weeks for the Jamaica Tallawahs, their trip to Florida in the USA just about derailed their campaign where they lost three-consecutive matches at Lauderhill, they’ll be glad that they’re back in the Caribbean for the remainder of CPL18. That might paint a bad picture for the Tallawahs heading back to the US next year, but in all honesty they didn’t play that badly at all, in fact they just fell short of victory on two separate occasions. Focusing on the present, Jamaica returned to the Caribbean in style defeating St Lucia by 21 runs thanks to a strong batting performance. In my opinion, this batting line-up has the potential to take the Tallawahs all the way to the CPL final if they can fire on all cylinders leading up to the playoffs. I’m not discounting their bowling attack whatsoever, it’s just hard not to get excited about a team with the likes of Andre Russell, David Miller, Ross Taylor, Rovman Powell and Glenn Phillips all squeezed into one jam-packed line-up of quality batsmen! Throw Johnson Charles and Kennar Lewis into the frame and it becomes an almighty task for opposition bowling units. New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsman Glenn Phillips has been on fire for Jamaica in CPL18, he currently sits second on the leading run scorers of the tournament with 281 at 40.14. David Miller’s inclusion has been massive, he’s scored 72*, 25* and 32* in his last three innings which has bolstered Jamaica’s hitting power in the closing overs. Andre Russell and Rovman Powell add a whole new meaning to aggressive batting, both have clear intentions when making their way to the middle. The Tallawahs are an all-round team this season, meaning they’re getting it done with both bat & ball. Skipper Andre Russell is the leading wicket taker in CPL18 with 13, closely followed by Oshane Thomas who’s bagged 11. It’s amazing to think that one of last year’s leading wicket takers Krishmar Santokie can’t get a gig in this side at the moment, a sign of utter-complacency.

Zak Varik is an Australian columnist/writer who specializes in the sports category cricket. With over four years of experience covering all sorts of cricket tournaments around the world, Zak has gained extensive knowledge in International cricket as well as domestic.
“I’ve loved watching cricket since I was about 7 years old, my childhood hero was none other than Andrew “Roy” Symonds who probably enhanced my love of the game through the years”.
Zak is now an established writer for FCN (Fantasy Cricket News) and has also previously represented other Blogs during his time as a writer.

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